Front End Damage

[gi02sl]

Now that I've got the Falco home (following the transport accident outlined in a thread below) I want to check for damage. The bike was fastened down tight against the front of the p/u bed, two tie-downs slightly forward, two tie-downs slightly back. Following impact, the front wheel bent the front of the p/u box forward about an inch. The box is not very strong there so I'm hoping that between that, the air in the tire, the 1/2 of fork travel left from loading, and the rear facing tie-downs, that I was able to avoid bending the forks or ruining bearings.

Can I be reasonably sure it's damage free by bouncing the front (it moves freely) and getting the wheel off the ground and steering side to side without any notchiness in the movement? Any other self-checks recommended?

[micah apriliaforum com]

It is totally normal to dent in the front of the bed in a pick up, especially import light trucks, by putting a bike in the bed. There is almost no way of avoiding this type of damage on light duty trucks...I even damaged a Chevy 1 ton tying down like this with a big bike.